Yard waste. Food trimmings. Wood scraps.
In 2021, Washington produced about 4.7 million tons of organic waste, according to the state Department of Ecology.
Nearly half of that is "recovered" for beneficial uses like compost. But that still leaves over 2 million tons of organic waste rotting away and emitting methane in landfills.
Also in 2021, Washington state passed the Climate Commitment Act, committing to reducing carbon and greenhouse gas emissions by 45% (from 1990 levels) by 2030, and nearly eliminating them by 2050.
The Washington Legislature followed that up with two organics management laws in 2022 and 2024. These laws specifically address emissions from organics in landfills, and are meant to somewhat tackle food insecurity that's worsened by needless food waste across the state. For example, the state aims to keep 20% of previously wasted edible food from being thrown away by the end of this year.
But some food does spoil, and yard waste needs to go somewhere. So this year, the state is requiring new milestones for composting and the larger systems responsible for diverting organics from the waste stream.
And even though Spokane will be exempt from some of those requirements, the city is working on its own organics system. This winter, the city has already expanded green bin collection, picking up residential organic waste once a month in December, January and February.
Here are other important dates as people plan for a new year of gardening, landscaping and grocery shopping responsibly.
MARCH 31
That's the date that Washington cities and counties must submit their first compost procurement report to the Department of Ecology. The procurement reports, now due each year, must record the amount of organic waste diverted from landfills, list active composting facilities, and say how much compost the city or county purchased.
The reports, which will be publicly available, are required from cities or counties with a population of 25,000 or more, as well as from any smaller cities or counties that provide residential organics collection. Spokane, Whitman and Stevens counties are all required to report, as are the cities of Spokane, Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, Airway Heights, Medical Lake, Deer Park, and more.
JUNE
By the end of June, Ecology will finish a study examining the compost market. Now that the state is pushing companies to make more compost, those companies want to know where they can sell it.
Right now, the two biggest buyers of compost are the Department of Transportation and farmers, says Cullen Naumoff Leese, the organics lead at Ecology. Her team wants to know if those markets are able to buy more, or if there are other markets out there.
JULY
Every July, Ecology now updates its map of Business Organics Management Areas, in which businesses like restaurants must compost or reduce their organic waste. These areas are determined by the availability of a collection service and the capacity of a nearby compost facility, which cities report to Ecology.
As of Jan. 1, businesses in a Business Organics Management Area producing at least 4 cubic yards of organic waste a week have to compost that waste. That's stricter than it was last year, when only businesses producing at least 8 cubic yards each week were subject to the requirement. Even more businesses will be required to compost next year, when the qualification drops to 96 gallons of organic waste per week.
Right now, Spokane says it does not have a collector or compost facility that can handle more commercial organic waste, so it is not a Business Organics Management Area. But the map of these areas is subject to change. If a new company sees an opportunity in Spokane, Naumoff Leese says, Spokane could join the list in a future year.
SEPT. 1
Come fall, Ecology and the Washington state Department of Agriculture will deliver a study to the Legislature about produce stickers, including the viability of compostable options or ones without plastic adhesives.
Plastic is one of the most common contaminants in compost, and stickers on fruits and vegetables are particularly frustrating for commercial composters to deal with. Commonly used stickers are not harmful and will pass right through you if you accidentally eat one, but most aren't compostable.
When plastic is ground up and mixed in with compost and then distributed on landscaping projects, however, it can add to soil contamination concerns, especially around per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals."
"Nationally, we don't have great PFAS or microplastic testing techniques for soil and compost," Naumoff Leese says. "So when we think about the Department of Transportation that's putting it on land, but also agriculture, we don't necessarily want to be putting microplastics into either of those layout applications." ♦
